No Hard Feelings
by SLynn
Summary: Not everyone is happy about the developments at the end of season six.


**Rating: **PG-13 by default  
**Season: **Six**  
Spoilers: **Up to and including S6 Finale  
**Pairings:** Greg/Sara implied, Grissom/Sara

**Disclaimer: **This has been building in me for some time. While I don't think this actually strays into character assassination, I'm not exactly nice to Sara in this. Or Greg. No one wins.

**Notes:** Thank you RivenSky and Tripp3235 for humoring me and getting this back so quick.

**Summary:** Not everyone is happy about the developments at the end of season six.

**No Hard Feelings by SLynn**

For three days now Greg had hardly spoken to her. Sara noticed, of course she noticed, she just couldn't figure out why the sudden change.

Typically when they worked together he was always cracking jokes, telling stories and spent much of the night making her smile. It made the night go by much faster; he made working something it hadn't been for her in a long time, fun.

So the sudden change was hard to comprehend.

The first night she thought that he might just be having a bad day. It was understandable; no one could be on all the time. So Sara had done exactly what he would have done for her, she tried to lighten up the mood.

But he just wasn't having it.

The second night she had hoped would be better, but it wasn't. Greg was still sulky and quiet with her, but only her. She noticed in the break room, when he'd been talking with Warrick, he seemed just like his old self. There was no accounting for it.

Unless…

The third night and she got the hint. Whatever the problem was, it was a problem he had with her. She had no clue as to what brought about the change, but she didn't like it. Not one bit. And if she could, she was going to try and fix it.

"Greg," she said, "do you got a minute?"

Greg shut his locker and let out a huff of air, not bothering to turn around.

Sara had purposely waited until the end of shift when she knew she could catch him alone in the locker room.

"I think we need to talk about this."

"Now?" he asked, finally wheeling around. "You want to talk about this now?"

"Yes. I don't know what's bothering you but it's obviously something…"

"You don't…" Greg started and stopped again. "Yeah, okay. Let's talk about it."

"Do you want to go get breakfast or…"

"No," he cut her off. "I don't want to go get breakfast. Or anything else. You want to talk about it, let's talk. Right now."

"Okay," Sara said uneasily, still not knowing where all his anger was coming from. "I just, what did I do that's got you acting this way? Greg, I don't understand. Did I say something or…"

Greg's look of complete disbelief stopped her cold.

"No," he said, sounding calmer; sad even. "No. It's nothing you've said or done."

"What is it then?" she asked, stepping closer.

With real concern etched on her features she reached out and touched him gently on the arm. The change in Greg was almost instantaneous.

"It's that," he practically spat out at her. "It's all this laughing and touching and flirting between us that's never going anywhere because I know, Sara. I know."

The change in her was also swift.

Sara withdrew her hand as if burned and took a series of small, quick steps backwards.

"What do you mean you know?"

"I know about you and Grissom," he answered. "I saw the two of you in the parking lot before shift a few nights ago, okay? So I'd just like it if you'd stop."

"Stop what?" she asked incredulously.

"Stop treating me like I'm your back-up boyfriend."

The door slammed shut behind them causing Sara to jump and turn. Nick and Warrick were standing there with looks of shock that must have equaled her own.

"That's… that's…" she stammered back at Greg, shaking her head. "Do we have to do this here?"

"You wanted to talk," he shot back, unyielding. The fact that they had an audience now didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"I don't treat you that way," Sara said red-faced.

"Yes, you do," he countered. "And you know what, it's my own fault. I was stupid enough to think that maybe I had a chance. That you were being nice to me for a reason. Well now I know why. You were just using me to make you feel good about you. Boost your ego a bit each night before running off to jump…"

"That's enough," Sara cut in loudly, plenty angry now herself. "That is not what I was doing and you know it."

"Then what was it?"

"I thought we were friends."

"Sara, please. You knew I didn't just want to be your friend. I've never hidden that from you."

Sara had no answer for that.

"Exactly," Greg said after a pause.

"It's not my fault if you misread my intentions," Sara finally returned.

"Not my fault?" he questioned back. "Sara, whose fault is it then? If you'd have told me about your little fling I'd never…"

"Greg, please. You flirt with everyone."

"I'd never have taken it seriously," he finished, undisturbed by her comment.

Sara was once more silenced.

"If you'd just been upfront," Greg continued, "but you didn't want to. You know, all I can think is you must have liked the idea of making me look like a fool."

"That's not…"

"You know, you keep saying that but what was your intent? Eventually you had to have known I was going to find out. Were you just going to keep stringing me along until then? What, Sara? What was the plan?"

"There was no plan," Sara argued. "Greg, I'm sorry if this hurt you. I really didn't mean for it to."

"Don't," Greg said, sounding strangely quiet. "Just don't."

"Greg."

"Don't talk to me. Don't act like you care. And don't pretend to feel sorry for me. I'm done with this, Sara. Done. I'm glad that he's finally decided to give you a chance, but I've always wanted you. Until now."

Greg moved past Sara without giving her a chance to respond. Just as Warrick and Nick stepped aside to let him out the door, Grissom walked in on the scene.

"What's going on here?" he asked seeing the variety of expressions that donned the room.

"Ask your girlfriend," Greg answered before moving around him as well and continuing on out the door.

Greg made it halfway down the hall before the sound of hurried steps caught up to him.

"What in the hell was that?" Nick asked, catching him at last.

"I don't want to talk about it," Greg answered, still heading for the exit.

"You can't… you can't just do that and…"

"And what?" Greg asked, stopping and turning on him. "Why can't I?"

"It's just not something… it's not appropriate."

"Not appropriate?" Greg asked sarcastically. "So, what is? Sleeping with your boss? Is that appropriate? Maybe you should have this talk with Sara, not me."

Nick shook his head, exasperated.

"I know it's a shock…"

"Did you know?" Greg cut in sharply. "You did, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not my…"

"Not your place? I'm your friend. You knew… you knew how I felt and you just let me…"

Greg shook his head vehemently and stalked past Nick altogether.

That night, back on shift, the break room was oddly quiet. No one brought up that morning. Grissom handed out the assignments and that was that.

"Ready?" Sara asked Greg, who once more she'd been assigned a case with.

He only nodded in return as they headed for the garage.

Halfway to the scene, Sara driving, Greg finally spoke.

"I'm sorry about what I said. It was uncalled for and it wasn't fair. I was just… disappointed."

Sara nodded and said nothing. She didn't know what she could say.

"This is my problem, not yours," he continued, looking out the window instead of at her. "I'll get over it. I just wish you'd have told me."

"I didn't know how."

Greg laughed, but not in an entirely unkind way.

"I guess I thought you, you of all people, would have been honest with me."

"I was…"

"No, Sara, you weren't," he interrupted. "You knew how I felt and you never told me no. You never came out and said no to me. To it. The possibility. You just let me go right on hoping."

Sara stared at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"I just thought you of all people would know what that can do to a person," he said softly, finally meeting her gaze.

Sara turned away quickly, focusing back on the road.

"I'm sorry," she said in an equally hushed voice.

"Don't be," he offered. And he really meant it. "I know now, that's what counts. Now I can…"

He let the words 'move on' go unsaid, but she heard them just the same.

"I want you to be happy, Sara," Greg said firmly. "I really do. And if he makes you happy, then I'm okay. I can live with that."

"I am happy."

"Good," he said shortly, looking back out the window. "No hard feelings, right?"

"Right," Sara returned.

And for the first time since she'd known him she had to force herself to smile.

**The End**


End file.
